infant

/ˈɪnfənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪnfənt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈin-fənt/ (ame, mw) · /ˈɪn.fənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪn.fənt/ (ame, ipa)

infant — 名詞

  • infantsingular
  • infantsplural

1. a child during the earliest months or years of life, before they can walk or tal

1.名詞A1
釋義

嬰兒

非常年幼，尚未能行走或說話的孩子

a child during the earliest months or years of life, before they can walk or talk comfortably

例句

Asher's infant slept through the night for the first time at three months old.

Asher 的嬰兒三個月大時第一次睡過整夜。

possessive + infant: family relationship context

The hospital's infant care unit has a separate room for premature babies.

醫院的嬰兒護理區設有專門給早產兒使用的獨立房間。

collocation: infant care / infant unit

同義詞
  • baby

    the everyday, informal word for a very young child; broader in age range than 'infant'

  • newborn

    specifically refers to a baby in the first few weeks after birth

反義詞
  • adult

    a fully grown person

文法句型

infant + verb (singular/plural)

用法筆記

In everyday conversation, 'baby' is much more common than 'infant'. 'Infant' is the usual term in medical, legal, and formal contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The infant could walk at ten months.' (possible but unusual).
✅The baby could walk at ten months.
💡'infant' is formal or clinical; for everyday talk about young children, use 'baby'.

2. a child attending the first stage of primary school in the UK, for pupils aged f

2.名詞B1
釋義

學童；幼生

（英國）就讀幼兒學校的四至七歲學童

a child attending the first stage of primary school in the UK, for pupils aged four to seven

例句

Rafael's daughter started as an infant at the village school last September.

Rafael 的女兒去年九月入學村裡的小學，成為一名幼生。

British: 'an infant' as countable student

The infants at Green Lane Primary School wore bright yellow hats in the playground.

Green Lane 小學的幼童在操場上都戴著亮黃色帽子。

plural 'the infants' for the whole group

反義詞
  • junior

    a child in the junior school (ages 7–11), the next stage after infant school in the UK

文法句型

the infants (plural, refers to the group)

用法筆記

Only used in British English education contexts. The word 'infant' by itself (without 'school') can refer to a pupil in the infant years — usually used in the plural ('the infants') to mean the whole group of children in that age band.

常見錯誤

❌She is an infant at the local school.' — ambiguous outside the UK.
✅She is in the infant class at the local school.
💡makes the UK school context clearer.

3. used as part of the name of a UK primary school for children aged four to seven

3.名詞
釋義

→幼兒學校

用於英國四至七歲兒童就讀的學校名稱

used as part of the name of a UK primary school for children aged four to seven — this is a cross-reference to the separate entry for 'infant school'

例句

St. Mark's Infant School is holding a parents' evening next Tuesday.

聖馬克幼兒學校下週二舉辦家長座談會。

proper name: Infant School as part of the institution's title

Liang enrolled at Riverside Infant School when he turned four.

Liang 滿四歲時進入了河濱幼兒學校就讀。

文法句型

part of compound noun: infant school

用法筆記

This is a cross-reference item. For a full explanation, see the separate entry for 'infant school'.

infant — 形容詞